Follow-up filing system



Sept. 11, 1923.

S. W M KEE FOLLOW-UP FILING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 9, 1920 .B C .27 11/1 ms -lvm cnnurom mu zmm INVENTOR.

Sept 11, 1923.

Filed Sept. 9, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 E WW INVENTZEP/ /MM ATTOR EY l 20 indexin atent Sept. 11, was.

inmate AET i.

QTILLMAN W. MOKEE, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FOLLOW-UP FILING S YST.

Application filed September 9, 1920. Serial No. 409,058.

To all whom it may conce'm:

a citizen of the United States, residing aty Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Follow-Up Filing System, of which 'the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of filing system especially adapted for use in i0 'glin records and the like alphabeticallyand niay be. quickly referred to or extracted from the file without the necessity of leafing over a relatively large number of index guides and record cards.

- An object of this invention is to provide a file of this character having for its principal characteristic the filing of thedifierent record cards side by side under any given character and the individual reeflord car. s being filed adjacent to another indexing number, one set of indexing charac-' .ters being of one notation and the other set being of a different notation. 7

Another object" of the invention is to provide. means for holding the record cards side by side or in transverse sets or series against lateralmovement'with respect to one another.

hereinafter. Y

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. i Figure 1 is a perspective view of a followup filing system constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention. a por tion of the front ofthe holder being broken away.

Flg. 2 is-a sectional elevation of Fig. 1, taken immediately in front of the eleventh sub=guide of the first group of sub-guides. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of- Fig. 1, with additional record cards in place.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of record card.

I Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the main guides'shown in Fig. 1

ate in such manner that the records holder 1 is in the form of a drawer form- Other objects and advantages will" appearv said members are shown in the drawings ex- Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the sub-guides shown in Fig. 1'. a

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the filing system with different index notations on the main guides and sub-guides than those shown in Fig. 1. The holder is omitted and portions of the division members or partitions are broken away. The system is not shown in its entirety in this view, there being but one main guide and one set of sub-guides.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of guide.

.Fig. 9 is still further modification of the record card. v

There is provided a holder indicated at 1 and constructed in any suitable manner. In the instance shown in the drawings the ing a portion of'a filing cabinet of which the remainder is not illustrated. The holder is provided with longitudinally extending partitions or division members 2. In the instance shown. the division members 2 are 7 in the form of flat strips, but it is to be understood that they may be-of any other suitable shape as, forexample, in the form of rods of circular cross-section. Essentials of the invention are the'division members '2, arranged in parallelism and extending longitudinally of the holder and, though 1of sub-guides, in the instance shown, being arranged in front of the main guide with which in use they are associated; though it is clear that the sub-guides could, if desub-guide relative to the main guide with.

which it is associated defines, not merely in front of the main guide, specifically, but adjacent said main guide whether it be in front or behind such guide.

The main and sub-guides are'respectivel'y provided with index characters of different notations and, strictly speaking, it does not matter which notation is employed for. the main ides and which for the sub-guides,

In ig. 1 each main guide 3 is provided with an index-notation in the form of letters 5, arranged in alphabetical order. In this particular instancefour main guides are shown, each containing different letters and all of them together containing all of the letters of the alphabet. The main guides may be fewer or greaterdn number. In Fig.

1 each sub-guide 1 is provided with an index notation in the form of a number 6 representing a day of the month, the different sub-guides having thereon different date numbers. In each set of sub-guides, there is one sub-guide, in this particular instance, for each day of the month, though a fewer number may be used if desired.

In Fig. 7 the notations on the main and sub-guides are the reverse of those in'Fig. 1. That isto say, each main guide 3 is provided with a series of index date numbers 7 and each sub-guide 4 is-provided with anindex letter as indicated at 8. In practice there will be provided a sufficient number of main guides to contain numbers for all of the days of the month, or as many of such dates as it is desired to file under. Also there is provided, in the instance shown in Fig. 7, a sub-guide for each letter of the alphabet, exceptingthe last three which are grouped together on one sub-guide, since records filed under X, Y, Z are of infrequent occurrence.

Preferably each sub-guide 4c is also rovided with an index notation corresponding to that of the main guide with which, in practice,-the sub-guide is associated, and the characters employed in such notations are indicated at 9 in Fig. 6. In Fig. 7 this notation is supplied by index characters 10 which are numbers to represent the days of the month to correspond with the characters 7 on the main guides 3. It is not absolutely necessary to employ the characters 9, 10 on the sub-guides, but they are preferred since their employment facilitates the placing of records in the file.

The main guides 3 are provided with openings 11 and the sub-guides4 are provided with openings 12, the openings 11, 12 being spaced to correspond with the spacing of the members 2, so that when the main guides and sub-guides are placed in the holder the members 2 will engage the openstood that if the members 2 are spaced from the bottom of the holder the openings 11 and 12 need not extend tothe bottom of the guides but maybe spaced therefrom. This may be readily understood without further illustration, since it is old to perforate a rod of circular. or other shape cross-section. In Figs. 1, 2 and 7 the index characters of the main guides are shown so positioned on saidguides that they are substantially in the middle of the spaces between the members 2.

The records to be placed in the file described above may be of any suitable character and, for convenience, I herein term the elements containing such records record cards, though it is immaterial whether they be cards within the specific meaning of the term or folders in which the records may be placed. Such folders are well. known in the art and therefore need not be illustrated. Record cards are indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7by the characters 13. These record cards are no wider than the space between the adjacent members 2 so that they may be placed between-any two of said'members as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 7 of the drawings, or between the outermost members 2 and the sides of the holder. When so placed each record card 13 is in' alignment ongitudin'ally ofthe holder with. one of the index characters 5 or 7, as the case may.be, on that main guide next rearward of the record ,card. The members 2 retain the, record cards in such alignment and prevent adjacent record cards from overlapping and interfering with one another. It is clear that a number of record cards may be placed in given sub-guide. Another form of record card is shown at 14.- in Fig. 1 provided with an opening 15 adapted to engage any one of the members 2 so that said record cardwhen in the file will be in position astride ofsaid 2 member 2.

'With such construction of record card it is index characters 16. When this form of guide 17 is employed it is not necessary to use the guides 3, 4. since the main guideand sub-guide are combined in the single guides, the index characters 16 being placed on upstanding tabs 20 that are on a level with a tab 21 upon which the index chara ter 19 is guide and pass through such perforation a the filein a transverse row adjacent any -character l2 thereon.

positioned. When the guide 17 is in position in the file, the record 14 is placed ast-ride one of the members 2 and it will then be in alignment longitudinally with the index character 16 aligned with said member 2.

In Fig. 9 is shown another modified form of record card 22, provided with an opening 23 to engage any one of the members 2. This record card 22 fits astride said memher 2, but is wide enough to extend entirely across the spaces on both sides of the member 2 which it engages. This form of we ord card may be used when the record to be placed thereon is of such extent that the narrower card 13 or 14 will not answer. The upper margin of the card 22 forms a tab 24 of less width than the card so that the tab will aline with only one of the index notations 5 or 7, as the case may be,

In practice, the invention is used in the following manner, Figs. 1 and 2 being re ferred to more particularly, since the description of how the modifications of the invention are used will be obvious from the description of the operation of the form of invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive. Assuming that the file clerk has in his possession three record cards 13 which he, desires to file and which are provided with the proper names, Bradley, Christopher and Evans, respectively, and assuming that the matters recorded on these record cards are to be taken up for consideration or action of some kind on the eleventh day of the month, he will throw forwardly the first eleven sub-guides of the first series of said guides to form a space immediately in front of the sub-guide having the index He will then file the Bradley record card in alignment with B on the main guide 3, the Christopher record card in alignment with Cand the Evans record card in alignment with E.

()n the 11th day of the month the clerk will throw forwardly the first eleven subguides as before and will extract from the file the three cards which he previously filed as above described. This procedure can be easily carried out with many forms of files already known, but the principal advantage of this particular file is that it facilitates the location and extraction of any record card wanted at any time previous to the date under which it is filed. For example, assuming that two days afterthe Evans record is filed the clerk, or any other person having access to the file, desires to refer to the Evans card, he will be enabled to find it immediately since it is in plain sight in front of the alphabetical index character E.

From the foregoing it is clear that the follow-up system as described will enable one to file a record card so that it can be made instantly available whether by its follow-up,date or its alphabetical order; and that in finding the record card there is no time consumed or lost motion resulting, since the upper portion of every record card is visible when in its position in the file.

It is to be understood that any other indexing notation may be employed than those hereinbefore described. For example, either the main guides or sub-guides may be pr0- vided with the names of the months of the year, numbers designating different years, or the like, according to the needs of the firm for which the filing system is constructed. y

It is to be noted that the sub-guide index characters are grouped together near one side of the holder, in this instance the right side, though it is immaterial whether it be the right or left; and that the main guide index characters are to one side of the subgli itde index characters, in this instance the le I claim:

1. In a follow-up filing system, a holder, a series of main guides in the holder, and aset of sub-guides in front of each main guide, the sub-guides being provided respectively with index characters of one notation arranged ina group occupying a space of less width than the holder and the main guides being provided respectively with series of index characters of a different notation arranged to one side of the sub-guide characters.

2. In a follow-up filing system. a holder, a series of main guides in the holder. each main guide provided with openings, :1 set of sub-guides ,in front of each main guide, each sub-guide being provided with openings, and spaced division members extending longitudinally in the holder and extending through the openings in the guides, the sub-guides being provided respectively with index characters of one notation arranged in a group occupying a space of less width than the holder and themain guides being provided respectively with av series of index characters of a different notation arranged to one side of the sub-guide characters.

3. In a follow-up filing system. a holder, spaced division members extending longitudinally in the holder, a series of guides in the holder provided with openings engaged by the division members, each of the guides being provided with a series of index char acters corresponding respectively to certain of the divisions and asecond series of guides between each two of the first guides bearing index characters of a different notation than those on the first guides.

4. The index guide described comprising a flat member provided with a plurality of openings and having adjacent its upper edge a series of spaced index characters and having a notch in its upper margin. 7

5. In a follow-up filing system, a holder, two of the first guides bearing index char- 10 spaced division members extending longituacters of a different notation than those on dinally in the holder, 21 series 0 guides in the first guides. the holder projecting above the level of said Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 1st day division members, each of the guides being of September 1920.

, provided with a series of index characters STILLMAN W. MOKEE.

corresponding respectively to certain of the \Vitnesses: spaces between ad aCcnt division members, GEORGE H. HILEs,

and a second series of guides between each L. BELLE WEAVER. 

